Vapor electric apparatus.



E. WEINTRAUB.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. WEINTRAUB.

VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12, 1905.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Ezec/w'e/ v A k N UNITED STATES PATENT orr os.

EZECHIEL WEINTBAUB, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

Application filed ran 12, 1905. Serial No. 255,174.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EZECI-IIEL WEINTRAUB, a subject of the Czar of Russia, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vapor Electric Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

In vapor electric devices which have a plurality of anodes, such for example as rectificrs and lamps fed from an alternating current source, d-iflicult-y frequently arises due to arcing between the anodes. By the term anodes I refer to the electrodes connected to the source of alternating current, since these electrodes are the anodes of the rectifying arcs. The difiiculty exists already to a small extent at low voltages and becomes more and more serious as the voltage applied to the anodes of the lamp is raised. The arcing may consist of slight flashes of current between the anodes occurring from time to time and is indicated by scintillating flashes on the anode surfaces, or it may take a more serious form in case a path of better conductivity is established between the anodes. In the latter case, the flow of current may amount to a short circuit and thus blow the fuses or operate such other safety devices of the system as may be present, and at the same time may greatly injure or destroy the rectifier. This phenomenon may be due to a number of causes. Thus it has been well established that arcing may be set up by the dropping of mercury globules against the anodes. \Vhatever be the explanation of the phenomenon the fact remains that a flash or sudden flow of current may take place between the anodes as a result of mercury globules impinging on the anode or anodes. In cases where the anodes are carefully preserved from contact with moving globules ofmercury, arcing may nevertheless take place, though of course to a less extent. In such cases the main cause of the arcing is I believe due to some kind of emanation from the cathode. The cathode, when the apparatus is in operation, is the seat or root of an arc stream to the anode or anodes in the apparatus and is all the time giving forth vapor particles or ions which migrate from the cathode to the anode or anodes. The velocity of these ions is very great and gives to the arc path the character of a draft or blast which tends to move,

as I believe,

the cathode. There is I believe some prop- ,ertyof this are blast or draft which when or emanation coming from the cathode directly or by reflection. To this end I arrange them so that the arc streammust turn through the greatest possible; angle before it can come into line with the anode or anodes.- With this arrangement the direct emanation from the cathode may be made to pass ofl into the condensing chamber of the apparatus or otherwise be taken care of without giving rise to the objectionable arcing before mentioned.

The features of novelty which characterize my invention I have endeavored to point out with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, will be better understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l is an illustration'of one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 a detail of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 a modified form of embodiment of my invention.

In Fig. 1 my invention is represented as applied to a mercury vapor rectifier of the single phase type whereby single phase alternating current may be converted into direct current. The rectifier tube or container in the present instance consists of a relatively large bulb or globe 1 provided at its bottom portion with electrodes. A cup or pocket formed in the lower portion of the ,bulb 1 contains a body of mercury 2 constituting the negative electrode or cathode of the apparatus. Electrical connection is made with this cathode by means of leading-in con ductors 3. Located at one side of this cathode is a small starting electrode or anode of mercury indicated at 4 in Fig. 2. This figure is a view taken at right angles to that of Fig. 1 and illustrates the position of the electrode 4 which in Fig. l is indicated by I I 0 I in a direction perpendicular to dotted lines. Another starting electrode, the purpose of which will be later described, is indicated at 5 and may consist, as shown, of a body of artificial graphite, or the like, carried by a lass-insulated wire 6 passing through the side of the bulb 1.

The main or working anodes of the rectilier may consist of cylinders 7 and 8 of carbon, artificial graphite, or the like, and are carried by leading-in conductors 9 and 10 projecting through the lower ends of glass tubes 11 and 12. These tubes are sealed through the lower wall of the bulb 1 and project up into the bulb as indicated at 11 and 12. As a protection to the anodes from dropping mercury, the inwardly-projecting ends 11 and 12 of these tubes are closed except for lateral openings which furnish a pathway for communication between the cathode and the corresponding anodes. One of these openings is indicated at 15 and the other at 16. These openings are preferably arranged so that they do not lie opposite to each other. In the drawings I have represented the axes of the openings as lying at a 90 degree angle to each other.

In order to connect the rectifier in circuit the anodes 7 and 8 are joined respectively to alternating current supply mains as 1.7 and 18. The consumption circuit for the rectified current is indicated conventionally at 19 and has one lead connected to the cathode 2 and the other to the-junction point 20 between two reactance coils 21 and 22 in series across the mains 17 and'18.

The apparatus shown may be started up in a number of different manners as, for example, by connecting the starting electrode 4 through a resistance 23 with one of the supply leads at 17 and shaking the apparatus so as to cause a momentary connection between the bodies of mercury 2 and 4. Upon the breaking contact between these bodies of mercury a small arc is produced which, if the polarities of the electrodes 8 happen to be appropriate, will serve to start up the rectifier.

The operation of starting a rectifier of this type from the alternating current source is apt to require a number of trials before it is accomplished, for which reason I sometimes find it convenient to perform the starting operation by means of current from a direct current source. Such an arrangement for starting is indicated in Fig. 2. In this case a source of direct current, shown conventionally at 24, is connected between the electrodes 3 and 4 so as to make the polarity of the electrode 2 negative. By tipping or shaking the apparatus an initial arc may be produced between the electrodes 3 and 4 upon which arcs will start between the cathode 3 and Working anodes 7 and 8. The direct current source may then be cut out of circuit.

It is sometimes desired to operate the rectifier at very low currents, so low in fact that the operation of the rectifier becomes unstable; that is to say, may go out. To provide against this I may cause a continuously existing are to spring from the cathode which are is kept in operation from a direct current source such as the battery 24. In this case it is desirable that the anode of this are should be of some solid material since if the anode were mercury the mercury would gradually be vaporized out of its receptacle. To this end I may utilize a graphite electrode as 5 to which the arc is started by first producing an initial are between the starting anode 4 and the cathode, as already described.

The apparatus being in operation the paths of the migratory ions or electrified particles of mercury between the cathode and the anode are indicated roughly by dotted lines 25 and 26 which have their root at a point on the cathode which may be conventionally called the cathode spot. This is a very bright spot from which the arc appears to spring, and which wanders erratically over the cathode surface. Any emanations from the cathode other than the ions which pass to the anodes 7 and 8 have a free path up into the condensing chamber 1 as indicated by the arrow 27. In any event arcing is effectually prevented by the arrangement shown, and while I believe the reason for this prevention to be as indicated, I do not rest my claims upon any particular theory of operation, since the beneficial effects of my invention may be obtained by apparatus such as shown, regardless of the theory to which its utility may be attributed.

Another form of apparatus in which my invention may be embodied is shown in Fig. 3 in which 28 indicates the envelop or container of the rectifier. The lower end. of this container is provided with two legs or cups 29 and 30 filled with mercury 31 to a height sufficient to cover the bridge 32 between them. In each of these legs is located a tube as at 33 and 34 of glass, though preferably of fused quartz or other refractory material. These tubes serve as envelops for the anodes 35 and 36 of the apparatus. These anodes have leading-in conductors which pass down through the contracted ends 37 and 38 of the said tubes, and are sealed through the legs or pockets 29 and 30 as indicated at 39 and 40. The oints between each tube 33 and 34 and the corresponding leading-in wires, and the leading-in wire itself, are covered with glass or other suitable in ulating ma.- terial as at 41 and 42.

The tubes 3 and 34 are closed at their upper portions except for lateral openings 43 and 44 angularly displaced with respect to each other as shown. The electrical con nections of the apparatus are similar to those of Fig. 1. ,The anodes 35 and 36 are connected to the alternating current leads and 46, while the direct current consum tion circuit, indicated conventionally at 4 has one lead connected to the unction between two inductance coils 48 and 49, and the other by multiple leading-in conductors to the body of mercury. 31. The starting of the a paratus may be accomplished by .an auxi lary mercury anode 50 between which and the mercury cathode 31 a source of direct current 51 may, be connected to furnish current for the starting are as described in connection with Fig.- 2.

Certain features of novelty claimed herein are disclosed but not claimed in my rior application, Serial No. 149,084, filed ar. 23,1903.

Other features of novelty incidentally disclosed hereinbut not claimed, such as the rectifier connections, including the means for starting and operating the vapor ,device, are disclosed and claimed in a number of prior applications filed by me among which are the following :Serial No. 127,834 filed Oct. 18, 1902; Serial No. 149,081, Serial No. 149,082, Serial No. 149,083, Serial No. 149,084, all filed Mar. 23, 1903; and Serial No. 593,303, which is a division of Serial No. 149,084 aforesaid.

- What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s-

1. A vapor apparatus for use with alternating current, consisting of an evacuated receptacle provided with a cathode, a plurality of anodes, andchambers for the anodes located so that the path from the cathode to an anode reverses in direction.

2. The combination of an exhausted envelop, a cathode of vaporizable material,

a plurality of anodes, and pockets for the anodes having openings therein located near the surface of the cathode, the anodes being located in said pockets below the surface of the cathode. p

' 3. In a vapor electric apparatus, the. combination of a container or receptacle, electrodes therein one or more of which'serv'e as anodes, and an anode-containing chamber closed at its top, and open at its side, and having the anode loc'atedfbelow the opening in the side.

4. In a vapor rectifier the combination.

of an exhausted receptacle, a liquid negative electrode therein, a plurality of anodes therein, an insulating chamber surrounding each anode, each chamber being provided with an opening in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of the'surface of the negative electrode.

5. Ina vapor electric apparatus, the combination of a vaporizableelectrode, a plurality'of anodes, andmeans for preserving he anodes from contact with projected particles of material given off from said vaporizable electrode. 1

6. A. vapor electric apparatus, the combination of an exhausted envelop .or. re ceptacle, a liquid negative electrode therein, a plurality of anodes therein, and a chamber with insulating walls for each. anode,

each chamber having an opening therein the plane of which is substantially parallel to the direction of the arc stream in the envelop.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of April, 1905.

EZECHIEL WEINTRAUB. V-Vitnesses BENJAMIN B. HULL, i HELEN ORroRn, 

